Taximeter fare-counter control



Feb. 2 1926.

F. O. GRAY TAXIMETER FARE COUNTER CONTROL iled May 12, 19215 PatentedFeb. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK O. GRAY, O}? DAYTON, 01-10,ASSIGNGR TO GHMEE FARE REGISTER COM- PANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A.CORPORATION GTE NEW YORK.

TAXIMETER FARE-COUITTEE Application filed May 12, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnounron O. Gui-iv, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Dayton, county of liiontgomcry, and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TaxinictcrFare-Counter Controls, of which I declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a fare counter actuating device especiallyadapted for use in a taximeter. More specifically, the invention is animprovement on the fare counter actuator controlling devices describedin my co-pending application Serial No. 638,45 filed May 12, 1923. Insaid application a cam is provided which is adapted to be driven eitherfrom the ground wheel of a vehicle or from a clock. This 1am has aplurality of lobes or active surfaces which are engaged by a followerarm which acts to intermittently actuate a fare counter. it is customaryin a taxicab business to make a minimum charge for hiring a vehicle, for

r this minimum charge to render a certain number of units of service,and when the minimum charge has'been consumed, to actuate the farecounter at the beginning of subsequent units of service. Tn myco-pending application above referred to, the cam follower, which is inthe form of an arm adapted to rock the shaft on which it is mounted, is,during the period of service corresponding to the initial charge,retained out of operative relation with the cam which actua-tes it bymeans of a latch which is spring pressed toward effective position. Thislatch is rendered ineffective when the service rendered has consumed theinitia charge by means of a pin suitably mounted on the actuating cam.It will be seen that the use of the device thus described is limited bythe condition that the service to be rendered for the initial fare shallnot eaceed the service represented by one complete rotation of theactuating cam. Suppose for example, that the actuating cam comprisesfour lobes and that it is desired to actuate the fare counter everyquarter mile of distance traveled after the initial charge has beenconsumed. The shaft which carries theactuating cam will be geared to theshaft operated by the ground wheel in such a way that the cam shaft willturn one full revolution while the vehicle travels one mile, dur-CONTROL.

Serial No. 638,455.

ing which each of the four active surfaces of the cam will have actuatedthe fare counter once. With this arrangement the distance to be traveledbefore the fare counter becomes operative cannot exceed one mile byreason of the fact that the actuating cam makes one complete rotationper mile of travel, and the pin mounted on this cam must inevitablyrelease the operating arm latch on the first rotation of the cam.

he object of the present invention is to provide a latch device which isnot subject to the limitation above discussed, that is, a device whichpermits of more than one complete rotation of the actuating cam shaftbefore the fare counter operating arm is released and becomes effective.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. latch device whichshall have two effective positions, and means associated with the cameffective on the first rotation thereof to move the latch from its firsteffective position to its intermediate position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch and controldevices for the same, associated with the cam, which shall permit ofmore than one revolution of the cam before the latch is released.

My invention is herein described as applied to a taximeter of the typedisclosed in the Patent 1,136,16d of April 20, 1915, to Ohmer andBridenbaugh.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the parts constituting my inventiontogether with sucn elements of the Ohmer taximeter as are necessary toshow its application thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the partsshown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing thelatching device in the intermediate position which it occupies afterhaving been affected by the first of two operating studs carried by thecam.

The actuating shaft is adapted to be rotated at a rate proportionaleither to the distance traveled or to the time consumed in waiting bymechanism fully described in the patent to Ohnier et al. above referredto or in my co-pending application. Said shaft 10 carries the four lobedactuating cam 11, the surface of which is followed by the operating arm12 rigidly attached to shaft 13. The shaft 18 actuates the fare counterin the manner described in the patent above referred to.

The flag or control shaft 1 1 carries a cam 15 which by its engagementwith a stud 16 on the operating arm 12, holds the operating arm out ofcontact with the actuating cam until the flag shaft 1 1 is moved to theposition it occupies when the vehicle is in hire. Loosely mounted on theshaft l l is a latch 17 which engages a lug 18 mounted in the operatingarm 12 when the operating arm is released "from the cam 15 by therotation of the flag shaft. The operating arm 12 is pressed toward theactuating cam 11 by spring 19. The latch 17 is termed at its upper endwith two shoulders, either of which may engage the lug 18 and hold theoperating arm 12 inefieetive. When the operating arm is raised toinetl'eetive position by the return of the flag shaft 1 1 to For hireposition the latch 17 assumes the position shown in Fig. 2. The latch isprovided at its lower end with a horizontally extending portion 20, andthe actuating cam 11 carries two stud 21 and 22, the stud 21 beinglocated nearer the center of the cam than stud 22, as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 2. when the latch 17 occupies the positioit shown inFig. 2, this stud will pass by the latch idly. The stud 21, however, isof such a length as to engage the side of the upwardly extending portionof the latch and to move the latch from the Fig. 2 position to the Fig.3 position. This movement does not render the latch inei'iective on theoperating arm 12 as Fig. 3 clearly shows, but in this position thehorizontally extending portion 20 of the latch is in the path oi thestud 22; accordingly when in the rotation of the cam 11 the stud 22again comes to a position adjacent the latch, the horizontal portion 20will be engaged by the stud 22 and the latch will be swung to an extentsufiicient to release the operating arm 12. With this arrangement it ispossible for the actuating cam 11 to make 1% revolutions before theoperating arm is placed in effective relation thereto; thus the numberof units of service which can be rendered for an initial fare is greatlyincreased.

Variations in the structure herein specifically described andillustrated in the drawings will be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a taximeter, a register operating arm, a device adapted to actuatesaid arm, a latch retaining said arm inoperative, means for settingsaid, latch in a secondary latching position, and devices for movingsaid latch from said secondary position to inel'lective position.

In a taximeter a register operating arm, a cam adapted to actuate saidarm, a latch for retaining said arm out of opera- St-ud 22 is short and.

tive relation with said cam, and means associated with said cam forrendering said latch ineffective, said means comprising two lugsengaging said latch in sequence.

In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a camadapted to actuate said arm, means retaining said arm out of operativerelation with said cam, means mounted on said cam for positioning saidretaining means during the first rotation 01 said cam, and other meansmounted 011 said cam for disabling said retaining means on the secondrotation of said cam.

1-. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a camadapted to actuate said arm, means retaining said arm out of operativerelation with said cam, normally inesiective disabling devices for saidretaining means, and means mounted on said cam for rendering saiddisabling devices eii ective.

5. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, a camadapted to actuate said arm, means retaining said arm out of operativerelation with said cam, said means having a first efiective position, anintermediate el'l ective position, and an ineffective position, a deviceassociated with said cam for moving said retaining means from its firstetl'ective position to its intermediate position, and a second deviceassociated with said cam for moving said retaining device. to111(3ll".0lL-l\0 position.

6. In a taximeter, in con'ibination, a fare counter operatin arm, a camadapted to actuate said arm, a pivoted latch adapted to engage andretain said arm out of engagement with said cam, said latch having twoetlective positions, means for moving said latch from its firstefifeetive position to its second efi'ective position, and a latchreleasing stud on said cam effective only when said latch is in saidsecond ellective position.

7. In av taxin'ieter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, acam adapted to actuate said arm, a pivoted latch adapted to engage andretain said arm out of engage ment with said cam, said lat-ch having afirst effective position and an intermediate effective position,disabling means for said latch associated with said cam and efl'eetiveonly when said latch is in intermediate position, and other meansassociated with said cam for moving said latch from its first to itsintermediate position.

8. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, anactuating cam comprising a plurality of arm engaging surfaces, a pivotedlatch adapted to engage and retain. said arm out of engagement with saidcam, said latch having a first etfective position and an intermediateeffective position, a latch engaging stud on said cam adapted to passsaid latch idly when the latch is in its first effective position, and asecond stud on said cam adapted to move said latch from its firsteffective position to its intern'iediate position.

9. In a taximeter, a l arc counter operating arm, a rotating cam adaptedto actuate said arm, means for retaining said arm in inoperativeposition, and means associated with said cam for disabling said re.-taining means, said disabling means comprising a. releasing device whichis inetlective on the first full rotation of said cam, but effectiveduring its second rotation.

10. In a taximeter, in combination, a fare counter operating arm, arotating cam adapted to actuate said arm, a lug on said arm, a pivotedlatch comprising two shoulders at its upper end, either of which isadapted to engage said lug, a laterally extending flange at the lowerend of said latch adjacent said cam, a stud on said cam adapted toengage said flange when one shoulder of said latch is engaged by saidlug and to pass said flange when the sec ond shoulder is engaged by saidlug, a second stud on said cam adapted. to engage a part of said latchadjacent said flange and move said latch from a position in which thesecond shoulder engages the lug to a position in which the firstshoulder engages the lug, and a spring tending to draw said latch towardsaid lug.

11. In a taximeter a fare counter operating device, an actuator havingan initial position and adapted to be driven at a rate proportional toeither time consumed or dis tance traversed and to actuate saidoperating device, a retaining device having two effective positions forretaining said operating device out of effective relation with saidactuator, means associated with said actnator for moving said retainingdevice from its first effective position to its second effectiveposition, and later from its second ellcctive position to inefi ectiveposition, and a setting device for restoring said operating device toinoperative position and said latch to its first etl'ective position.

12. In a taximeter, in combination, a tare counter operating device, anactuator, a first stud associated with said actuator, a second studassociated with said actuator, a retaining device for said operatingdevice initially retaining the same inoperative and adapted to be movedto release the same by the successive action of said first and secondstuds, and a setting device adapted to restore said operating device,and said retaining device to initial position.

13. In a taximeter, in combination, an actuator, a fare counteroperating device, a setting device, a cam associated with said settingdevice adapted in one posit-ion of such device to retain said operatingdevice ineit ective, a spring pressed retaining device adapted to retainsaid operating device ine'tlective when it is released by movement ofsaid setting device, a plurality of devices associated with saidactuator adapted by their successive action on said retaining device torelease said operating means for co operation with said actuator, saidsetting device being adapted on return thereof to initial position torestore said operating device to position to be engaged by saidretaining device.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signaturew FREDERICK O. GRAY.

